Steps to Recovery

Some of the signs that the person is overwhelmed by their emotions and may need professional help include but may not be limited to the following:

• They do not want to speak about their story as they consider it too painful to tell,
• The person creates a wall of silence around the event for a long time,
• If the person cannot express or experience his or her feelings,
• Dreams and thoughts of the experience continue to evoke very painful emotions that do not go away,
• The person’s behavior dramatically changes, and/or
• The person has thoughts of hurting themselves or others.

Consider the following if you require professional mental health or medical assistance:

• Health811 will connect you with a registered nurse for confidential health advice. It does not replace your other touch points with your health care provider or 9-1-1 for medical emergencies.
• ConnexOntario is a directory of community mental health and addictions services in Ontario.
• Contact Brant is the first place to contact to navigate and connect you with services for children and youth with emotional, behavioural or developmental concerns.
• Canadian Mental Health Association Brant Haldimand Norfolk provides services targeted at adults with mental illness and their families.
• SOAR Community Services provides 24/7 crises response and free counselling to clients with addictions and related mental health concerns.
• Victim Services of Brant provides support to those affected by crime or tragic circumstances including referrals to other community agencies for long-term assistance.
• Kids Help Phone offers 24/7, free e-mental health and wellness support.
• Hope for Wellness Helpline provides mental health counselling and crisis support for indigenous peoples across Canada.
• 9-8-8 National Suicide Crisis Helpline offers Canadians free 24/7 suicide prevention support by phone calls and text.

Your insurance provider will require a list of lost or damaged items as part of your insurance claim. Make sure to review your insurance policy to understand what items are eligible to list. Before and after photos and/or videos can help with claims. Record serial numbers of appliances and household equipment, if possible, noting the approximate cost or value of each item.

Once the inventory is complete, submit it along with a proof of loss form to your insurance company. Unless they are dangerous or pose a health hazard, damaged items should still be kept until your insurance agent confirms they can be discarded.

If you don't understand your insurance coverage and the claims process, the Insurance Bureau of Canada can help.

• Read frequently asked questions about insurance
• Call 1-844-227-5422

• Clean up and dry your home quickly after the storm or flood ends- within 24 to 48 hours if possible. Start by removing any water that remains.
• Air out your house by opening doors and windows. Use fans to dry wet areas. Position fans to blow air outdoors or windows.
• Pump out flooded basements gradually (about one-third of the water per day) to avoid structural damage. If the water is pumped out completely in a short period of time, pressure from water-saturated soil on the outside could cause basement walls to collapse. Once the water has been removed from the basement, remove all the silt and mud as soon as possible.
• Work from the top down. Ceilings and walls that have been soaked or that have absorbed water may need to be broke open to help dry them out. Remove materials at least 500 mm (20 inches) above the high-water line.
• Dry soft surfaces (e.g. mattresses, upholstered furniture, carpeting, rugs, bedding, clothing, stuffed animals, baby toys, pillows, foam-rubber items, books, wall coverings, and paper products) in the open air if possible, before cleaning. Throw away anything that you can't clean or dry quickly. Most sewage-soaked soft surfaces should be discarded.
• Remove and discard drywall and insulation that has been contaminated with sewage or floodwater.
• Consider removing vinyl floor coverings and tile to allow the substructures beneath or behind them to dry.
• Thoroughly clean all wet items and surfaces with hot water and laundry or dish detergent. For example, you'll want to clean any flooring, concrete, molding, wood and metal furniture, countertops, appliances, sinks, and other plumbing fixtures.
• Run dehumidifiers in closed off spaces to pull moisture out of wood floors and subfloors, beams, doors, etc.
• Fix any leaks in roofs, walls, or plumbing as soon as you can.
• Any appliances that were inundated by water should be checked by a professional before you use them.

• Open windows and run fans to remove smoke odours. Try to ventilate your attic and other insulated spaces as insulation will often retain odours.
• Soot will smear easily leaving black stains. Use a shop vac to carefully remove soot making sure the nozzle does not make contact with the surface you are cleaning.
• To remove soot and smoke from walls, furniture and floors, use a mild soap or detergent or mix together 4 to 6 tablespoons of trisodium phosphate (TSP) and 1 cup household cleaner or chlorine bleach to every gallon of warm water. Be careful- Wear rubber gloves as TSP is caustic and use according to manufacturer’s instructions. Be sure to rinse surfaces with clear warm water and dry thoroughly.
• Wash walls one small area at a time, working from the floor up to prevent streaking. Rinse with clear water immediately. Ceilings should be washed last. Do not repaint until walls and ceilings are completely dry.
• For soft, washable items, such as clothing and bedding, first decide if the item is worth keeping as smoke is difficult to fully remove. Multiple wash cycles may be required before drying.

When there is a power outage:

• Be sure to keep a thermometer in your fridge and freezer that are easily visible. The refrigerator temperature should be 4°C or lower and the freezer should be -18°C or lower to keep food safe.
• Consider transferring meat, leftovers and other items that can be frozen from your fridge to your freezer. Alternatively, consider transferring perishable food to a smaller container (e.g. cooler) with ice.
• Transfer ice or gel packs to your fridge to help it keep its temperature.
• If possible, note the time of the power outage so you may be better able to assess what foods are still safe to eat as the temperature in the fridge slowly rises.
• Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible.
• An unopened refrigerator will keep food cold for about 4 hours.
• A full freezer will keep food frozen for about 48 hours. A half-full freezer will keep food frozen for about 24 hours.
• Where possible, quickly check the temperature inside your fridge and freezer intermittently during the power outage. Potentially hazardous foods (e.g. meat, eggs, dairy products, soft cheeses, leftovers, prepared infant formula and open baby food) stored above 4°C for more than 2 hours will need to be discarded.
• Food that still contains ice crystals or has been kept at 4°C or lower can be refrozen. The quality may change; however, the food is still safe.

When food and food-contact surfaces (e.g. drawers, shelves, cutting boards and countertops) come into contact with flood waters:

• Throw out all non-perishable food that isn't packaged in a waterproof container. You should also throw out any bottles or containers that were not sealed before the flood. Food containers with screw caps, snap lids, crimped caps, twist caps, flip tops, and snap tops should also be discarded due to the difficulty in removing contamination from under the caps.
• Throw out canned goods if there is a damaged seal, bloated can or the contents show signs of seepage. Canned foods with a small amount of surface rust are acceptable if the rust can easily be removed with a cloth. Discard heavily rusted cans because pinholes can allow dangerous bacteria to enter.
• Cans that are in good condition only after taking off the label, thoroughly washing the can in warm soapy water and putting it into a disinfecting mixture. Remember to clearly mark the contents on the container if it will not be used right away.
• Clean all cookware, dishes, utensils, containers and food contact surfaces with warm soapy water and then disinfect them.
• Wash and sanitize your hands often if you have been cleaning up after a flood, especially before handling or eating food.

When food and food-contact surfaces are exposed to a fire, smoke or chemicals used to fight fire:

• Discard foods/items exposed to ash, soot, water, smoke, and firefighting chemicals regardless of where they were stored (e.g. fridges, freezers, cupboards and drawers). This includes:
  • Foods showing any signs of being damaged or contamination.
  • All opened food packages and foods that were left uncovered.
  • Foods packaged in permeable packaging, including paper, foil, cardboard boxes, plastic wrap or cellophane.
  • Bottles and jars of food with screw top lids or crown/crimp caps and Tupperware type containers should be thrown away due to the difficulty in removing contamination from under the caps.
  • Throwing away foods from the refrigerator or freezer if they have signs of smoke damage, or that have off flavors/odors when prepared.
• Canned goods should be washed and disinfected before use. Those exposed to heat damage, dented or bulging cans should be discarded.
• Clean all cookware, dishes, utensils, containers and food contact surfaces with warm soapy water and then disinfect them. Throw away disposable food utensils (e.g. plastic plates, cups, etc.) that were exposed to smoke.

In some instances, drinking water systems can become contaminated or compromised due to the impact of an emergency or disaster. This can lead to any of the following drinking water advisories:

• Boil Water Advisory: Boil water advisories are issued as a means to inform consumers that they need to boil their water in order to protect their health against the potential presence of disease-causing bacteria, viruses or parasites. Consumers are to bring their water to a rolling boil for at least one minute or as otherwise directed by the public health unit before using it for consumption (e.g. cooking, making formula, juices, or ice) or activities where it might be unintentionally ingested (e.g. brushing teeth, washing fruits and vegetables).
• Do Not Consume Water Advisory: Do not consume water advisories are issued as a means to inform consumers to use an entirely alternate water source such a bottled water to protect their health against the potential presence of chemicals or other contaminants that cannot be removed by boiling their water. In these instances, ingestion is the only route of exposure that is of concern so while preparing food, cooking, brushing teeth, etc is to be avoided, many domestic uses such as flushing toilets, laundry and showering (cautiously as to avoid ingestion) may still be permitted unless otherwise directed by the public health unit.
• Do Not Use Water Advisory: Do not use water advisories are issued as a means to inform consumers to use an entirely alternate water source such a bottled water to protect their health against the potential ingestion, inhalation and/or skin exposure to harmful contaminants in the water. As a result, water should not be used for any domestic purposes such as preparing food, cooking, making formula, juices or ice as well as brushing teeth and bathing or as otherwise directed by the public health unit.

Please note: the above drinking water advisory descriptions and uses of water are subject to requirements as determined by the public health unit. As many of the permitted uses of water are dependent on the contaminate involved and its level in the water, consumers should use public health recommendations and direction when determining how to use their water under a drinking water advisory.

Be sure to listen to authorities including the public health unit regarding the status of the drinking water as well as any actions required to use it safely during and after an emergency or disaster.